It's a good suggestion. I think it requires a fuller assessment of the different shortcuts.
One part of this is that shortcuts are important for accessibility, and some of them can be considered "part of the experience" for users with certain disabilities. The second thing, is that being a scarce resource, shortcuts need to arranged and mapped to functions carefully.

What I recommend is that:
1. Luke draws a complete panorama of the shortcuts proposed for a11y reasons and how they need to map to the Unity word
2. Design reviews that list and ensures the mapping is consistent with the overall organization of the Unity shell and the general usability directions that have been followed.
3. We file a list of bugs/tasks for fixing the shortcuts that need to be remapped.

Changed in unity:

importance:

Undecided → Medium

status:

New → Triaged

assignee:

nobody → Luke Yelavich (themuso)

milestone:

none → 3.4

Changed in unity (Ubuntu):

assignee:

nobody → Luke Yelavich (themuso)

importance:

Undecided → Medium

status:

New → Triaged

summary:

- Alt+F1 should be equivilant to the Ubuntu-button in Unity+ Alt+F1 and mapping of other shortcuts for Unity

This was discussed at the recent sprint in Dallas. Here is a copy of an email that Mirco sent out about what shortcuts could possibly be used, as determined at the meeting:

Greetings everybody!

Here's my initial brain-dump of the key-mapping that should be used for
launcher- and quicklist-navigation. I don't know about typical
a11y-principles for such things so bear with me, should I have
overlooked something obvious. This is meant as a base for the discussion
we (Alejandro, Neil, Luke, Jay, Jason, myself) need to have this
afternoon.

launcher key-mapping

* CursorUp: move selection up
* CursorDown: move selection down
* CursorLeft/ESC: close a quicklist, if open
* CursorRight: open quicklist
* Return/Space: start selected app (or switch focus to it, if
open)
* ????: set keyboard-focus to launcher
* questions (needs feedback from design-team):
* how - apart from the showing of the tooltip - should the currently focused launcher-icon be represented?
* how does the Super/Meta-key shortcut conflict with this a11y keyboard-navigation?

This is meant as a base for the discussion we need to have this
afternoon.

Since no keyboard shortcut was decided for getting to the launcher and focusing keyboard navigation, I think Alt F1 is appropriate, since the launcher is used to launch apps etc. If a shortcut to the dash to access apps etc is under consideration, then possibly super + a would be appropriate for that.

> For me, F10 works correctly (opening application's menu), Alt+F1 does
> nothing, ans SUPER focuses the Launcher, but allows the launcher to
> again auto-hide (not allowing for keyboard navigation).
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to Unity.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/706713
>
> Title:
> Super key should open Dash
>
> Status in Ayatana Design:
> New
> Status in Unity:
> Triaged
> Status in Unity 2D:
> Triaged
> Status in “unity” package in Ubuntu:
> Triaged
>
> Bug description:
> In a standard GNOME2 session, Alt+F1 focuses and opens the Main Menu.
> In Unity it should be binded to the Dash, or whatever the Ubuntu-
> Button is going to run in Natty.
>
> ****
>
> Alt+F1 focuses the first launcher for keynav
> F10 opens the first menu of the panle
> Super should open the dash
>

currently pressing <super> key brings up the launcher what will happen to the launcher showing behavior when <super> will invoke dash? and also wouldn't it break all the other compiz features like expose since dash grabs the keyboard input.